WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – For the fifth consecutive year, the Elon men's tennis team (7-12) is headed to the CAA championship match, as the Phoenix eliminated host William & Mary (10-13) in a 4-0 sweep Saturday in the semifinals at the Mackesy Tennis Center.
Veljko Krstic and
Nikola Parichkov mounted a comeback from 1-5 down at the top doubles spot to secure the opening point for the No. 2 seed Phoenix. Elon then won three singles contests in straight sets to sweep the No. 6 seed Tribe.
Elon will meet UNCW in the CAA final for the fifth consecutive season after the Seahawks squeaked past Drexel in Saturday's first semifinal, 4-3.
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The Rundown
- William & Mary raced out to 5-1 leads at the Nos. 1 and 3 doubles spots and looked poised to take the opening point of the match. However, the Phoenix stormed back, flipping both matches on the way to an improbable 1-0 lead.
- In the first match to finish on Court 2, Jack Curtis and Rafael Ymer had a decisive 6-3 victory over the Tribe duo of Dylan Chou and Albert Hansen. Elon's No. 2 tandem is now 6-2 this season but this was their first victory against a CAA opponent.
- Krstic and Parichkov responded after losing five of the first six games to William & Mary's top team of Oliver Hague and Gur Trakhtenberg, reeling off five straight to take a 6-5 lead. William & Mary's duo then held to take the match into a tiebreak, the second this spring between the two doubles tandems.
- Elon took early control in the tiebreak, securing a mini-break in the opening point on the way to a 4-2 lead at the change of ends. The Phoenix then won the next three points to finish the match and clinch the doubles point.
- It was the third tiebreak triumph this spring for Krstic and Parichkov and their second to come against Hague and Trakhtenberg. The pairing has won six matches this season, tied with Curtis and Ymer for the most on the Phoenix.
- Like Krstic and Parichkov, Oskar Antinheimo and Nick Fisk won five straight games to erase their own 5-1 deficit on Court 3. Elon led 6-5 when the doubles point was secured.
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- Krstic kept it rolling in singles, dropping just three games in a 6-1, 6-2 win over Trakhtenberg on Court 1 to put Elon ahead 2-0. It was Krstic's second singles win this spring over Trakhtenberg and his second against a CAA opponent on the season. The senior is up to eight victories, the second most on the Phoenix.
- Charles Pilet moved the Phoenix within a point of victory with a 6-3, 6-1 victory at the No. 6 spot against Hansen. Pilet has now won consecutive matches for the first time this season and has wins in three of his last four outings. The sophomore is 3-0 against CAA opponents this spring, with two wins at the No. 6 position against the Tribe.
- Ymer punched Elon's ticket to the championship match on Court 2 with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Hague. The victory extended Ymer's winning streak to eighth and was his team-best 15th win. Ymer joined Pilet with a 3-0 record against conference foes this spring.
- Curtis was a game away from winning on Court 3 when the match was stopped, while Antinheimo came from 4-1 down in his opening set on Court 5 to take a 6-4, 3-2 advantage. Parichkov was locked at 3-3 in a third set.
- The win secured Elon's fifth consecutive trip to the CAA championship match. The Phoenix has been in the title match every year since 2022.
- Elon has now advanced to the CAA final in each of its first two seasons under head coach Maciek Sykut.
- Elon now leads the overall head-to-head against William & Mary, 10-9. The teams have split their six CAA Tournament encounters.
- The Phoenix will meet the Seahawks in the championship match for a fifth straight season. UNCW has won each of the previous four matches.
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Up Next
Elon will meet UNCW in the CAA championship match for the fifth consecutive year Sunday morning. The contest at the Mackesy Tennis Center will begin at 9 a.m.
The No. 1 seed Seahawks survived a scare from No. 5 Drexel on Saturday, with freshman Thomas Marin coming through a final-set tiebreak on Court 5 to secure a 4-3 UNCW win.
Results
Singles
1.
Veljko Krstic (Elon) def. Gur Trakhtenberg (W&M) 6-1, 6-2
2.
Rafael Ymer (Elon) def. Oliver Hague (W&M) 6-4, 6-3
3.
Jack Curtis (Elon) vs. Nikita Bortnichek (W&M) 6-4, 5-1, unfinished
4.
Oskar Antinheimo (Elon) vs. Austin Cohen (W&M) 6-4, 3-2, unfinished
5.
Nikola Parichkov (Elon) vs. Dylan Chou (W&M) 3-6, 6-2, 3-3, unfinished
6.
Charles Pilet (Elon) def. Albert Hansen (W&M) 6-3, 6-1
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Doubles
1.
Veljko Krstic/
Nikola Parichkov (Elon) def. Oliver Hague/Gur Trakhtenberg (W&M) 7-6 (2)
2.
Jack Curtis/
Rafael Ymer (Elon) def. Dylan Chou/Albert Hansen (W&M) 6-3
3.
Oskar Antinheimo/
Nick Fisk (Elon) vs. Nikita Bortnichek/Theo Nilsson (W&M) 6-5, unfinished
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Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,6,2)
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--ELON--
